we are still breathing (and that's all we could ask for)
by absolutefaith
Summary: "you are glad that you decided to keep them around" - jesus analyzes the group from Alexandria.


_Jesus is slowly warming up to me. So I had to write this fic with his POV and for some reason, I had to do it second POV._

 _Sets during season 6 and ends with the last scene of the midseason finale. This scene, by the way, is one of my favorites. Especially the one when Rick hugs Daryl. I cried like a little girl._

 _I don't own TWD. *sighs*_

* * *

When you first talked with them, you didn't know what to expect.

You've seen the way they do things. They are a tight group, fighting to live with everything they have.

Sure, you've seen groups even better than them. With better strategies, better people, more organized.

But they have something, you can't pinpoint what, exactly.

You just hope to be around long enough to discover.

.

As they stick around to fulfill their part of the agreement, you're able to see the interaction between them with more clarity.

They are lethal. They take the phrase "to kill or to be killed" to a whole different level.

But at the same time, they care about each other so deeply that sometimes you feel like an intruder just by watching them.

The way Rick tends to his children; how Daryl and Carol have a unique relationship; how Eugene, with his singular self, was able to captive Rosita's and Tara's attention; how Maggie and Glenn were able to find love amidst the chaos or how Abraham is willing to start over, in spite of everything that happened.

As you look inside their eyes, you can see how much they've seen already. How much pain, and suffering and grief they've experienced. You don't know it all but you know enough.

However, and that's the beauty of it, they are still humans.

It's because of that – and so much more – that you don't want them only for protection and alliance.

.

You don't know with details what happened between them and Negan. You only know that it was bad.

You know that whatever happened, it destroyed the beautiful thing that Maggie and Glenn had. It destroyed what Abraham and Sasha could have.

It destroyed who Rick was. He was the fearsome leader, the one that make tough calls, that took care of everything and everyone.

Now, as you watches how he, along the others, carries Maggie around, you notice how he's just the shell of a man that he used to be.

How some of them are missing and how they all have tears on their eyes.

When you discover the reason behind it all, when they tell you that Negan brutally killed Glenn and Abraham and took Daryl away, you understands.

And you can't help but blame yourself a little bit for this.

.

Slowly, but surely, things are returning to normal. Or as normal as they can be.

You watch how Sasha and Maggie support each other through their pain. Timidly, they try to stay in the shadows, to avoid any attention.

They've lost too much, they're not ready to face the world yet, you think.

Maggie is recovering and Sasha hovers over her, ready to tend to her needs.

But they are warriors. They are survivors.

People like them can't stay quiet for too long. They can't just sit and watch without doing anything.

So, it doesn't surprise you when they stand up to help the community.

Maggie is on top of the trailer barking orders, while Sasha gets her hands dirty. You help, not only because it's who you are, but because you want to be a part of it. You want to be a part of this circle of trust that they have.

The next day, when Maggie punches Gregory after he tried to expose them to the Saviors, you see a different person. With reflect in your eyes the pride that Sasha is feeling towards her friend.

She transformed her grief into something constructive and you wonder how it's going to be like when she takes over Hilltop.

.

When Sasha asked you to find the Sanctuary, you didn't know what to think.

But you complied anyway because you feel like you own them that much.

The you found Carl inside the truck and he tricked you. With a smile on your face you hide in the shadows to see what else you can find in that place.

Something is about to change, you can feel it in your bones.

And you be dammed if you don't do anything to help it.

.

From afar, you watch how Rick's right hand man is reated like shit. How Daryl, once one of the most valuable warrior on Rick's army, is reduced to nothing more than garbage. He's about to break, you are sure of it.

But now is not the time to do anything about it. Negan is nearby, along with Carl, and any movement can be proven fatal to any of the parts involved.

And you know that no one, especially Rick, can deal with another blow like that.

.

The window is small and you know that if you don't do anything quickly, you'll lose the opportunity to release Daryl.

You know that he has spotted you on the top of the truck and you use the distraction to jump off of it and hide. You plan, and you wonder and you decide.

He's at his breaking point, you know that. You predict that something wrong could happen when you left the note under his door.

So you're not surprised when he kills the fat guy with just a pipe.

He picks the gun from the guy and both of you walks to the motorcycle, the feeling that something is about to happen intensifies and you can't avoid the excitement that you feel.

.

You are both at the back when you hear the commotion at the gate.

Listening closely, you realize that it's not the Saviors so it's safe to come out.

You need to hold back tears as you see the look Rick gives Daryl.

You see their leader with so much emotion on his eyes that you understand why he was chosen to lead the group. He's strong, he's reliable and he cares with everything in him.

On the other hand, you watch as Daryl lowers his head and how his shoulders are shaking. This man, so strong, known as the tracker with trust issues, lower his shields as he sees his brother approaching him.

When they hug, both crying with relief, you realize it's one of those moments where you feel like an intruder but you can't look anywhere else.

Because right now, this moment, is the reason why you decided to stick around.

They work well when they are apart but, when they are together it's like when a puzzle is finally being solved. It's an well oil-machine and they all have their function, their job.

As Rick picks his gun, you see a new understanding passing through their eyes. They are determined, they are focused, they have a war to win.

That's why you were so excited before. Because for the first time in a long, long time you hope that things will get better.

You walk with them towards the main house, realizing that you still haven't discovered what's so special about them. What makes them so unique.

But right now, as their world is slowly knitting itself back together, you are glad that you decided to keep them around.

(Or it's the other way around?)

* * *

 _Reviews are appreciated!_


End file.
